SRL PROJECT MEETING
Venue: London – Southwark
October 2014
Meeting 3 Report19th – 22nd Oct, 2014
19 educators from the Algarve travelled to London on Sunday, 19thOct 2014 for the 3rd Joint Meeting of our School Radio Regio project. After checking in at their Greenwich hotel and being welcomed, they were taken to New Cross to meet with almost 20 partners from Southwark’s project institutions. Friendships were quickly revived over a much enjoyed Welcome Meal at ReynA restaurant.
Day 2. Monday, 20th Oct
The Algarve meeting participants were accompanied on the train to Denmark Hill where Southwark partner school, Dog Kennel Hill Primary hosted the first work day of the meeting. Travel took longer than expected, resulting in a slightly late star at 10.15am. Head teacher, Galiema and Ross (Dog Kennel Hill School’s head of ICT) welcomed all participants and printed programs and meeting documents were distributed.
For Southwark borough, Chris S then recapped the project, welcomed all the guests again, ran through the program and put the meeting into the overall context of the work undertaken so far during Year 1, and the collaboration to come.
40 people were present, including teachers from both regions, 2 Southwark LA Special Needs advisers, 2 participants from our London ‘experts’ at Aculco Radio, the Algarve INSET centre expert, the Head of Lyndhurst Primary and 2 Algarve Head teachers.
Cat S from John Donne Primary chaired the school reports on what they’ve done with radio since last meeting from 10.25am as each partner school from both regions presented. She first outline pupil AND teachers work using radio at her own Southwark school, John Donne Primary. Brilliant work had been undertaken, with the school clearly having taken a grip of the project’s Radio them and embracing it. She also reported that although it had not been the original intention, the school had also now set up a specific ‘radio studio’ room, which has really given the school’s involvement with Radio a high profile.
10.35am Paulo then reported for Naus School Radio in the Algarve, especially on how they are incorporating language and music together. Good pupil work has been done. Their aim now is to spread the use of School Radio from the 1st year to final year….hence the additional 5 Algarve participants who have come to meeting in addition to the 14 originally expected.
10.42am Charlie from Lyndhurst School reported. She played a film made by her pupils talking about various works of Art. This proved an excellent example of encouraging students,who might otherwise struggle with writing, to use descriptive language—in this case, primarily about David Hockney artworks.
10.45 Anibal reported on the Agrupamento de Escolas Paula Nogueira work. They bring to the Regio project 17 years’ experience with School Radio. He played some clips of recordings made with special needs pupils including those with Downs syndrome. This had been the first time they had contact with microphones. Then he played a new ‘POP MUSIC’ program their able students have produced. It was impressive output.
Dog Kennel Hill School next reported at 10.50am. SEN teacher Amanda and Head of ICT, Ross presented. Amanda had travelled to the Algarve for Joint Meeting 2 which had inspired her to really engage with the Radio work. She brought in equipment from home to use with pupils who then talked about spelling patterns or about school trips. Since, they have been able to get their own school equipment and hope their proficiency with the equipment willcontinue to improve quickly.
So far, they have recorded the assembly as their base track, then recorded additional segments and dropped them in to make a podcast.
They then played Amanda’s recording with dyslexic pupils. Kew Gardens visit—the pupils had interviewed each other about it.
11am Keeping to schedule, it was then time for the Head of Lyndhurst Primary, Nick Hammil, to make a presentation about the strategic use of School Radio from the Leadership position. He is well positioned to offer this expertise. It was the proficiency with which they use School Radio to raise standards that was observed by Algarve educators several years ago and led to the initiation of this particular project.
Nick presented his own history. He personally had taught in Faro, Portugal. He is good at getting funding…and this has supported radio at Lyndhurst since he returned to the UK. He’d had to take over a failing school. He wanted to use the creative approach. He used an arts based, open, free thinking approach. Writing and speaking improved. He was also the SENCO…but was concerned that the less able were not making the same improvements. They were bound by the words they could spell and what theycould write quickly. He got the staff to work with mixed ability groups and not streamed by ability. He got them then using Dictaphones. They had to talk and discuss ideas….and writing improved as a result. He was amazed.
He got teacherAvon from his school to read out a piece of work a previously poor student had written based on Shakespeare. This illustrated the success he’d had at his previous school, St Josephs.
On his move to Lyndhurst School, he was not happy with the support the LA was providing. He persuaded them to let him open a resource centre with funding he obtained from the Sainsbury’s family. He began training teachers for dyslexics (including Mark Sherin who is now actively inspiring our project)…and then as the next step, began a radio station. Charlie, Avon and Mark from Lyndhurst continue the good work to today. The school has15 years of good progress. Writing has improved immeasurably. Nicks advice to every school is ‘Do it,’ (i.e. work with School Radio). It’s worth it.
Discussion and questions for Nick followed, which really got participantenthused.
(Above: Left--LA Adviser Ian Morris chats with Dyslexia expert teacher, Mark Sherin./ Right—Lyndhurst School Head, Nick Hammil speaks of stragic use of School Radio to the Regio group.)
A 20 minute coffee break followed
11.50 Agrupamento de Escolas D. Manuel I de Tavirathen reported. They hope to have a nice radio studio in the future. After the March Regio meeting, she was inspired by Radio Naus and met with her own students. They tried to make an interview. This year, they’ve started 3 weeks ago to use the radio equipment during break time. They’re choosing songs and communicating with it on Wednesdays and Fridays. Students love it…but they don’t have enough staff time free to work on it. They’re developing their own web page. She is happy because she has wanted to do this for 8 – 9 years and now it’s coming to fruition as a result of our Regio project.
11.55am Dina (Agrupamento de Escolas Júlio Dantas / EB Tecnopolis School,Lagos) next reported. She is specifically using the project and the engagement with School Radio to support foreign language teaching. She played the alphabet song. Then English language phrases that she is recording with her pupils. This is a way to get them to listen to their own use of English. They will record some interviews with authors.
12 Midday. Rotherhithe Primary School were then asked by Cat if what they’ve heard so far has given them any ideas for their own school. (They are currently linked by shared leadership with Dog Kennel Hill Primary and as a result have heard about the Regio project and asked to join it. British Council have agreed.) Lisa said. “Yes… I particularly liked Dina’s presentation.” --They are interested in working with radio to help those pupils with English as an additional language. They have lots of ideas to take forward. “We have lots of staff who will be excited to work with radio.”
More discussion then followed about the potential of various recording activities and their benefits with certain student’s development…. Fatima D—“Voice Thread is a free program that some classes can use. “
12.05pm Cat introduced Carlos from the Algarve Education Ministry to speak about the SRL-REGIO.COM platform development to date which they have been taking forward and developing following the initial design work done by the Southwark side.
“The idea of the platform is to be a warehouse where we can put all the outputs from the schools (who can have their own web radio pages too). It’s a showcase for all the schools. The server is in Portugal with good strength. Web links can be generated when you upload and they can be put into your own school pages too.”
He showed how uploaded videos or sound files can be viewed.
The platform web tool is only in Portuguese at the moment…we need to have it translated also to English.
It will be possible to do a search to isolate certain themes of uploads.
All the Algarve schools have been working to upload work already to trial it.
Charlie (Lyndhurst) suggested we actually upload a file now to all see together how it’s done.
Files once uploaded…can be deleted or edited.
Chris asked when it can be translated to English…soon is the answer. There was a discussion on passwords….safety, when it can be used. Angela…can we add links to other resources within the description? They talked of attaching a forum so closed comments can be given about the usefulness of resource. Ana Cristina…we could upload other resources too….not just what we produce. Aculco Radio….we can download the pupil produced broadcasts from there to broadcast.
Carlos is to send us the link to the platform so it can be linked to the srl-regio.com site asap…..and vice versa.
We now need to launch it….We’ll need to mail to all in both regions saying: here is the link. It’s all up and working/ let’s use it… & give User names and log ins.
Charlie….hands up if you feel you could now upload. Most said yes. Chris said…..lets set a deadline to roll it out. Carlos: End of next week.
On time, the group then headed out to walk to the George Channing pub where lunch had been catered for us.
1.45pm Back at school, we began the meeting again, on time.
15 mins on issues and information about dyslexia followed, presented by our project expert, Mark Sherin.
Dyslexia is at word level…not sentence level. You have to be able to read quickly and fluently…and sometimes dyslexics can’t. Characteristics--phonological awareness…verbal memory and verbal processing difficulties.
‘Input, storage and output’ can be affected by dyslexia.
Can you hear it? Can you store it? Can you reproduce it? Dyslexics can have the same difficulties as those using a second language.
Memory. (short term and working)
Dyslexia—equal opportunity….of race, class, intelligence, gender etc. It’s a continuum from mild to severe.
Can be seen in spelling, reading, writing, sequences and order, handwriting, space and time, personal organisation, mental calculation, motor coordination, aspects of language…..but are not necessarily a good indication of dyslexia. Strengths….can be many tho not in reading and writing.
Results, can be lack of achievement, frustration, low self-confidence.
14.05pm
Linda Austen…Southwark’sLA advisory teacher for dyslexia then presented.
Southwark was one of the first regions to recognize Dyslexia. She’s been supporting pupils 20 years…working with pupils and teachers every week.
Big changes in recent times--Recognition that these children have diff brain organisation. Political changes have followed. The Rose review was set up…top scientists looked at history of Dyslexia and what is needed to help students with it. Govt accepted the report. A year later, the Equalities Act came in which gives legal protection to invisible disability (and cited dyslexia) as well.
Linda is the only specialist that all 70plus Southwark schools can call on. So…her main effort is training others. 1 in 3 Southwark schools now have a trained staff member.
They know: What to look for/ what to do/ how to behave and help pupils to deal with the stress of it.
14.15pm Charlie then spoke of the Emotional Impact of Dyslexia, from her expertise as a Dyslexia teacher supporting those with it.
“Our beliefs about ourselves arecreated before we’re 7 years old.
Self-belief depends on….attachment we have to our parents / The way our family treats us/ our school experiences.
These beliefs underpin everything we do.”
She went through the 3 types of brain activity.
Children with learning difficulties face failure on an hourly basis.
Can lead to self-limitingbeliefs.
The way we react to challenges depends on our own self esteem.
Our ability to learn is affected by the nourishing adults around us.
Tips for teachers: always be friendly to keep students calm./ go slowly/ always give a second chance / give reassurance/ be honest
Our expectations must be: realistic/ achievable/ challenging.
“Life is not what we live, it’s what we imagine we’re living”.
“Every child deserves a champion”
With much to think about and to discuss informally, a Coffee break then followed.
14.50pmIsabel Rute from the Algarve then made a presentation to inform on the situation in Portugal.
“We have law in Portugal to help protect those with dyslexia. We must evaluate those affected. We have 2 documents and have built some instruments to measure. There is guidance on how to support pupils from nursery to upper secondary. Assessment and action planning for students is undertaken.”
3.09pm Ana Cristina: Our Portuguese system is very bureaucratic….but very complete. We have teams of Special Needs staff to help. Dyslexia teachers are inside the SEN teams.
At 3.15pm, Charlie (Southwark teacher) and Rute (Algarve teacher) led the meeting in a student profile task in both Portuguese and English
Participants had to spend 5 minutes, thinking about a particular child with specific learning issues and fill out their pupil profile.
3.25pm They then shared information about their ‘profiled’ student….and brainstormed as a group what radio (or other support) ideas might be usable to support their development.
Amanda & Fatima(DKH) talked about Jay. He struggles with reading as well as writing. Attitude v. bad despite support. Dina suggested give him the lead role. E.g. in editing. Mark…something fun and around his self-image. Voice to text.
Dina presented student call Tomasz who is repeating yr 5. He only cares about everyone else…not himself. Mark…maybe he needs a task which relieves him from the leading/ caring role. Cat wondered if the paired coaching they get pupils to do would help.
Another case: from PT. A pupil that’s improving but lacks confidence. Small group support lesson helped him to build confidence.
Lynda…some of these pupils have hyper mobility…loose ligaments and so can’t sit up properly…or write without support. They can appear to slouch and be listless…but it’s actually a physical deficit.
AC ….another case study of v. expressive wild outspoken student. Send him to music says Rute. This will allow him to channel that expressiveness.
3.55pm Charlie next set out what we’ll do tomorrow. With the day coming to an end, some of the visiting participants were then led on public transport to visit areas of interest in Peckham.
Day 3. Tuesday
We reconvened at Dog Kennel Hill Primary School. 10am to 10.15. Ross welcomed the team. Mark went through the program for the day. Chris asked for presentation powerpoints for our web site, Cat: recapped yesterday’s work while we showed photos from the day.
10.22 Mark(Lyndhurst) stepped in with his ‘games for dyslexia’ presentation while we waited for the primary dyslexia group pupils from Lyndhurst School who will work with us this morning.
Mark: “learning must be fun…a happy place to be. We have to show children that we care and that they can be successful…and that targets we set are achievable.
It’s a privilege to be a specialist teacher and work one to one with a child. Personalize learning then though.e.g. Personalize a game for your specific child’s temperament and possibilities.
On google, you can find blank game templates. Teachers can put the required learning onto them.
--Make the game very simple….so the energy of the child is focused on the learning not on the instructions of the game.”
He showed a SpongeBobsquare pants game. It involved rolling a dice
Funny/ rude / disgusting things are remembered best….so can use it with spelling. E.g. DOES….Does Olive Eat Snails?
Personalized games for spelling and reading.
10.30am Children from Lyndhurst School arrived to talk about what it’s like to have dyslexia. Each was led by Charlie to speak to the meeting.
10.42 Questions from the floor to the children about their experiences of school and learning and dyslexia followed.
All the meeting participants were very impressed and learned a lot.
11.00am Went to the other room and Charlie and the children led the exercise of animation using iPad with groups of teachers.
11.35 Coffee break
11.45. The meeting split into 2 group…Mark leads with Amanda the classroom group on games for learning
Games often focus on reading or spelling….but in a fun way.
“You have to make things memorable for children to learn. Act out in memorable ways the making of letters. E.G. D for drive…and use a model car driving through shaving foam.